New Delhi: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) formally staked its claim to form the government on Friday. Representatives from the NDA submitted a letter of support to President Draupadi Murmu, setting the stage for the official inauguration of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister on June 9.
The oath taking ceremony will be held on Sunday evening at Rashtrapati Bhawan and the President will administer the oath to Narendra Modi and his new cabinet at 7.15 PM.
During a meeting of the NDA coalition, Narendra Modi was unanimously chosen as the leader of the parliamentary party. In his address, Modi outlined the government’s focus for the next term, emphasizing good governance, development, improved quality of life, and minimal intervention in the lives of ordinary citizens.
Modi highlighted that the foundation of the NDA partnership is built on mutual trust among all parties, reaffirming their commitment to the philosophy of ‘Sarva Panth Sambhav’ (equal respect for all faiths). He asserted that the NDA, well-versed in managing victory, has formed the strongest coalition government in history.
In a message directed at the opposition, Modi stated, “We have never lost. Our conduct since June 4th shows our ability to handle victory.” He addressed attempts to undermine the NDA’s success, declaring, “Efforts to cast a ‘shadow of defeat’ on this victory have failed. Such endeavors are short-lived, and that is precisely what happened.”
Despite the BJP winning 240 seats in the Lok Sabha poll, 32 seats short of the 272 majority needed, Modi relies on the support of coalition partners to form the government. Key allies in the coalition include the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with 16 seats, Janata Dal United (JDU) with 12 seats, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction with 7 seats, and Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas with 5 seats.